ON LEPROSY 191 



the acquired phagocytic hosts, the result, if the conflict has 

 been long continued, is a scene of wreckage and spoliation 

 of its subject almost as formidable as death itself, the 

 immediately adjacent and the histologically continuous 

 structures being usually left waste and desolate by the 

 waxing and waning of battle and the continued cumbering 

 of the battlefield by broken and useless impedimenta. 

 Generally, however, the conflict becomes unequal, the 

 acquired or invading gaining an overwhelming influence 

 over the original or protecting phagocytic hosts, whereby 

 cessation of hostilities, capitulation, and annihilation are 

 finally secured. All this sorrowful conflict waged in the 

 persons of unfortunate lepers, we say again, is absolutely 

 preventable, and, if the requisite treatment be but initiated, 

 soon ought to be curable, or, if unhappily fairly in pro- 

 gress, mitigable, by means plainly indicated in the fore- 

 going resume of the subject ; we, therefore, reiterate the 

 opinion that research, instead of dwelling on the effects, 

 should turn its attention to the elucidation of the absolutely 

 initial causes of the disease, which are usually to be found 

 in that debatable organic region or buffer zone occupied 

 in common by the frontier physiological agencies or forces 

 of health, and the marauding or invading pathogenic 

 scouts and advancing forces of disease. This debatable 

 zone may be said to be non-existent in the absolutely 

 physiologically healthy body and its individual tissues and 

 organs, and, therefore, no pathological opportunity pre- 

 sents itself for the inroads of the disease ; under such 

 circumstances, consequently, the maintenance of an un- 

 broken hygienic wall of healthy protective texture around 

 the citadel of life must be constantly sought after as the 

 only means effectually to resist the invasion of such an 

 enemy. 



Hygiene of the person universally, combined with the 

 scientific use of germicide therapeutic agencies under all 

 threatening circumstances, and with a world-wide indi- 

 vidual and national co-operation in working out the 

 destruction of the lepra bacillus, promises to rid the planet 

 of a disease which has been one of the greatest scourges 

 of humanity since the beginning of history, and, by 

 inference, from the beginning of the race. 



